A 22-year-old woman named Hadiqa Bashir from Swat, Pakistan, has brought great honor to her country by winning the Global Citizen Youth Leader award, making her the first Pakistani to achieve this accolade.
Bashir, a passionate activist, is dedicated to promoting education and women’s rights in Swat, having established the organization ‘Girls United for Human Rights’.
She actively campaigns against the harmful practice of underage marriages in her region.
Global Citizen praised her efforts, highlighting her advocacy for gender equality and the transformative potential of education for young girls in tribal areas.
Bashir’s impressive track record includes receiving the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, the Asian Girls Ambassador Award, and being a finalist for the Commonwealth Award.
Notably, she shares her hometown with Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel laureate renowned for her advocacy for women’s education.
This year, Global Citizen is recognizing 32 young innovators and advocates from the Asia-Pacific region, providing them with funding to address social issues in their communities and support their ongoing initiatives.
Additionally, the awardees will have the opportunity to attend a Youth Leadership Summit in Melbourne, facilitating global networking and collaboration.
